Fletching is an artisan skill that involves the making of bows and arrows. The products of this skill are primarily used in the Ranged skill. It also provides material with relatively high alchemy prices, so its products are often used to train Magic as well.

At higher Fletching levels, the skill can be trained without losing any coins, although a decent amount of working capital is very useful.

A general rule of thumb for fletchers is to wait until you hear 3 "plucks" of the log being strung to know when you are done. This is an especially helpful tip for those who tend to be multitasking on other things when fletching. The plucking noise only applies to unstrung bows being strung though. Generally, however, each 5 logs that are fletched result in one plucking sound. Since 14 is the number most commonly used for fletching (14 of one type of log, 14 bowstrings), around 3 plucks are needed. Of course, if you are just cutting the logs with your knife then all you need to do is wait until you do not hear any more animation of the cutting to check back on your character. You can make 5000 unstrung bows in 3.13 hours.

The current minimum requirement to be ranked (at approximately rank 862,013) on the hiscores for Fletching is level 15. As of 16 August 2018, there are 173,715 current members that have achieved level 99 in Fletching. There are 3,666 current members that have achieved level 120 in Fletching.

Contents

Materials used

Fletching requires various items, depending on what a player wishes to create. These items are relatively universal, with slight differences based on exactly what is made. All sorts of fletching require logs, a knife, and other various supplies, which can be found below.

The Volatile Clay Fletching Knife is obtained from Stealing Creation with 20 Stealing Creation Points. They are used to cut logs, like an ordinary knife. They can be operated to give 29,340 bonus experience. When transforming, it becomes a random volatile tool and uses 10% of its bonus experience.

Not sold

Making weapons

Bows

Flax can be picked in Seers' Village, north of the POH portal in Taverley, on the Lunar Isle, directly south-east of The Grand Tree, and in Lletya. Also if you have completed Throne of Miscellania you can have your subjects pick flax for you, Also upon completion of the quest you can pick Flax yourself on Miscellania. It can be spun into a bowstring on a spinning wheel. There is a spinning wheel on the first floor of the house north of the churchyard. Spinning flax gains 15 Crafting experience. There is also one on Neitiznot, which is the closest one to a bank. Another spinning wheel can also be found on the first floor of Lumbridge Castle, which is just downstairs from a bank. Flax plants give multiple flax per plant but do not last forever. They require time to "grow" or spawn again. Flax is a common way of making money. Flax can be picked and sold (73 coins each), or they can be spun into bowstrings to sell for more.

Feathers can be acquired by killing chickens. Chickens drop an average of about five feathers each. Feathers can also be bought in various places such as Shantay Pass, Fishing Guild, Lumbridge Fishing Shop, Port Sarim, Shilo Village, Ava's Arrow Shop, and various other places. Each shop has a player stock of 1000 feathers, and feathers can be bought for 6 gp, or 13 each from the Grand Exchange. You can use coloured feathers for this too, but they are more expensive most of the time. You can get coloured feathers from hunting.

Gem bolt tips are attached to finished bolts (use feathers with unfinished bolts) to make gem tipped bolts. They can be made by using the gem with a chisel. Every standard gem in RuneScape, including the Shilo Gems, (Opal, Jade, Red Topaz, Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, Diamond, Dragonstone and Onyx) can be made into gem tips, needing higher fletching levels progressing upwards. Finished bolts can be enchanted using Magic.

Making the items

Weapons

Bows

A player stringing a shieldbow (u)

To fletch bows, players must use a knife on a log to whittle a shortbow or shieldbow of that wood. Then, a bowstring must be attached to the unstrung bow. Bows, especially yew shieldbows and magic shieldbows, are frequently high alched as a means of income or Magic experience. Yew shieldbows are often made by many fletchers because of their high profit and experience.

Players may gain twice the normal experience per log that is made into a bow (u) with the sacred clay fletching knife that is awarded through the activity, Stealing Creation, it costs 20 points to obtain. However, the knife will disintegrate after a set amount of xp is gained (which means it will last longer for lower level bows). For more information, see Fletching training.

Projectiles

Arrows

To fletch regular arrows, use a knife on logs to create arrow shafts. Each log yields 15 arrow shafts. Add feathers and arrowheads.

Achey logs can be whittled into ogre arrow shafts. Each achey log yields between 2 and 6 arrow shafts. Four feathers are needed for each shaft. The shafts may be tipped with wolf bone arrowheads or with nails. Ogre shafts tipped with nails are called "brutals" and are especially useful for killing Zogres. Any type of metal may be used for the nails.

The following table shows experience per item made, although 15 items are made at a time.

1For arrows with tips, experience includes an additional 20 xp, 5 xp for the shaft and 15 xp for attaching flights (feathers).2Broad arrows can be made after buying the knowledge with Slayer points.

Bolts

Bolts are made by using a metal bar at an anvil while you have a hammer in your inventory. This grants Smithing experience. The bolts created in this process are unfinished and still require fletching (they need feathers). This part provides the Fletching experience. Bolts are also the fastest way to acquire experience, and you will not lose much money. It is also great combined with Smithing

The following table shows experience per item made and per 10 items made (the amount made per metal bar).

Cape of Accomplishment

Once players have reached level 99 Fletching, Hickton in Catherby will sell the Fletching cape for 99,000 coins. In addition, when players achieve level 99 in the Fletching skill, they receive the ability to make a new item while Dungeoneering, Tier 10 arrows.